A Dec. 13 event is scheduled, said Dr. Kimberly Luse, a registered radiologic technologist who took the helm of the non-profit organization that supports the trio of Dayton-area Fisher houses.
“(It) has been offline for about 13 months for a renovation,” Luse said.
Scheduled renovations are part of how the homes are maintained to the organization’s standards.
“That’s the agreement, that we keep the house in a very top condition for our veterans and the active-duty military and the guests that we serve,” she said.
The three Fisher-Nightingale Houses in the Dayton area are two on Wright-Patterson and another on the campus of the Dayton VA Medical Center in West Dayton.
The Fisher House Foundation is a national organization that builds comfortable homes where active-duty military and veteran families can stay free of charge while a loved one is in a hospital or in nearby hospice care.
Both base homes cover nearly 16,000 square feet. Fisher houses 1 and 2 were donated to the Air Force by the Fisher House Foundation, named after the late Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher. Nearby, of course, is the Wright-Patterson Medical Center, the Air Force’s second largest hospital.
And 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Fisher House I.
This recent renovation was four years in the making, Luse said. It was time to refresh countertops and tile work at the home, for example.
But the work went much deeper.
Four years ago, work to stabilize the home’s foundation began, Luse said. Stage two of the renovation saw the replacement of interior products such as rugs and window coverings. The third phase focused on the exterior of the house, and last year saw the completion of interior upgrades to include the kitchen, laundry room and all bathrooms.
Among the many interior refinements: A chandelier can now be raised and lowered for cleaning.
“If God made the people and things here at the Fisher House any better, he must have kept them for himself,” a guest is quoted as saying in the organization’s 2023 annual report.
The home will be reopened in the next few weeks, she said. A nearby street light is being installed, then a few “minor” tasks demand attention. Then it should be fully opened, she said.
Luse’s non-profit, FNHI, provided nearly $300,000 for the renovation. (She could not say what the Air Force spent on the project.)
“It’s just beautiful,” Luse said of the work performed.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
As with any home, maintenance is ongoing. Luse said she believes Fisher House II will need renovations in coming years.
Fisher House II, on the base, served 297 families in 2023. (Numbers for 2024 so far were not available). The Dayton VA Fisher House served 420 new families last year.
Both Wright-Patt Fisher houses saw 1,796 “occupied nights” last year, a number tracking individuals who spent the night in both houses.
“That is a good number,” Luse said. “That is a busy number.”
At these comfortable, spacious homes, families have access to well stocked kitchens, laundry facilities, area transportation and more.
The organization calculates that families save a minimum of $100 a night, Betsey Striebel, manager of the Dayton VA Fisher House, told the Dayton Daily News last year.
Luse said she loves the work her organization does.
“I’m more excited today than the day I started this role, to tell you the truth,” she said.
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